Brenda Gorst, 73, was awarded £250,000 after winning a 'nightmare' seven year legal fight which has seen her needing seven separate operations

A gran has been awarded £250,000 after her foot was left pointing 90 degrees in the WRONG DIRECTION following a botched hip operation.

Brenda Gorst, 73, was given the money after an out-of-court settlement following a 'nightmare' seven year legal fight which has seen her needing seven separate operations.

The pensioner's once 'right-angled' leg is now 'virtually useless' as she cannot lift it after the bungled procedure by Betsi Cadwaladr University Health Board, north Wales.

One of her legs will now be permanently four inches shorter than the other following the bungled procedure.

A consultant even used SANDBAGS to try straighten her foot, which Brenda described as 'looking like something from a horror film.'

She was informed she had just three days to live when medics later wrongly diagnosed a supposed flesh-eating disease instead of an infection.

Doctors scoured the country for the correct rare antibiotics to treat a vicious infection, which cost £2,000 a day.

Brenda decided to have a hip replacement in 2007 after a scan showed wear and tear of her bones which was causing her constant aches.

But after the operation, her leg was black from 'tip to toe' and the pain showed no sign of subsiding.

Brenda Gorst, 73, was given the money after an out-of-court settlement following a 'nightmare' seven year legal fight

With continued swelling, three 'revision' operations were carried out to correct the mistake, but that lead to Brenda contracting a strong and 'antibiotic resistant' infection.

Also during the further procedures, surgeons removed the hip replacement to fuse the leg bone to the pelvis, shortening it by four inches, in a bid to reduce the pain and give Brenda some very limited mobility.

The gran, from Newton-le-Willows, Merseyside, said: "“When I woke up from the first operation, my leg was black and I was in agony. It was bruised from tip to toe to unbelievable levels.

"I thought it would get better. It took some time for me to realise something had gone badly wrong."

"After many revision operations, the consultant was stunned when he saw the state of my hip and leg. He was shocked this hadn’t been noticed yet.

"All the warning sings were there, I was in acute pain, the bruising and swelling was terrible and my leg was twisted in entirely the wrong direction.”

"They told me I could be dead in three days. It was a pretty frightening experience.

Brenda Gorst

“I was numb, I couldn’t take it in. Thank God it wasn’t a flesh-eating disease. But it was still a vicious, vicious infection."

Brenda still faces yet another to rebuild her leg bone and pelvis.

She added: "My leg is now virtually useless. I can’t lift the leg. When I saw the surgeon last week he said five inches of the femur is not only all fractured but it’s infected too.

“It’s getting on for seven years since this ordeal started. I’ve gone from someone who was active and able to cope with the pain in my joints to someone who is in constant agony and unable to do many of the things I used to take for granted.

“Looking back I wished I had pushed hard for a second opinion as soon as I realised something was wrong. My advice for anyone else in a similar situation, who has genuine concerns about their care, should not be frightened of asking for a second opinion.

“If the pain is too bad and you’re not healing, do not assume your doctor is infallible. They make mistakes but you should not have to suffer for their errors.”

Now, Brenda is virtually housebound and needs a crutch and stick to walk.

“Ms Gorst was not informed of the risks of a hip replacement operation, her pain and suffering were dismissed and simple anti-infection measures appear not to have been followed at the start of her treatment.

“It has been a terrible ordeal for Ms Gorst which is not at an end. She still faces operations to repair the extensive damage caused by these negligent operations.

"Her mobility and activity has been dramatically reduced as a result of the very operation which was meant to give her a new lease of life.”

"This is a very complex case and unfortunately the surgery that Mrs Gorst underwent was unsuccessful.

"On behalf of the health board, I am sorry that the care Mrs Gorst received at the time fell short of the standards she deserved. I am also sorry for the distress this has caused to Mrs Gorst and acknowledge that this has been a very difficult time for her.

"We aim to provide excellent care and have looked very carefully at this case to make sure that mistakes are learned from and cannot be repeated."